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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195337">And Why Mess Up A Good Thing Baby?/It's A Risk To Even Fall In Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyncase/pseuds/justyncase'>justyncase</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rine3195/pseuds/Rine3195'>Rine3195</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>lexthan friends with benefits [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Child Abuse, Dalice is there but only a little bit, Domestic Violence, F/F, Friends With Benefits, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kinda, Mild Sexual Content, Nonbinary Ethan Green, Other, Physical Abuse, Pre-Canon, That's the main reason for the underage tag, Underage Drinking, Underage Substance Use, like a little bit, these two are so stupid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:14:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyncase/pseuds/justyncase, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rine3195/pseuds/Rine3195</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"'Lex, we don’t have to do the romance thing.'" they said, glancing at her.</p><p>She looked confused. 'We could just do this. The physical thing.'"<br/>Or, Lex and Ethan are l o n e l y</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alice/Deb (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Danny/Oliver, Lex Foster/Ethan Green</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>lexthan friends with benefits [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a party. That was all. Lex couldn’t even really remember who was hosting it at this point. Deb had invited her and Ethan while they were in English. Lex and Deb sat together in the row in front of Ethan. That was Thursday. It was now Saturday night. Lex was wearing a grey shirt, a jean jacket, ripped black jeans, and converse, at a party she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to be at. However, she had gotten Grace to watch Hannah. The two girls weren’t friends, but Lex had some extra cash and needed a night off from worrying about the world. So now, Lex was sitting in the living room of someone she didn't know and smoking a joint. </p>
<p>“God, these fucking middle class kids.” Lex laughed between drags. The person sitting to her right gave her a look that read confused and delighted.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Ethan replied. </p>
<p>“I mean… look at this place. It’s,” she took a short drag from the half-burned joint in her hand and then passed it to Ethan, “nice.”</p>
<p>Conversations dragged on for a while. Some people joined the two to talk or they would go off and have conversations with others. After a few drinks and a few joints, Lex and Ethan were pretty… gone. The two were collapsed on a couch and debating the validity of sea creatures.</p>
<p>"Okay, but what about dolphins?"</p>
<p>"They do not apply. They are still mammals. They're not fish. I hate fish. I like dolphins." At this point, Ethan was practically keeled over on top of Lex.</p>
<p>"Well, they're practically fish!"</p>
<p>"Lex, how are they practically fish?!"</p>
<p>Lex paused and took another drag from the joint. "I dunno. You really think I'm watching what I'm saying at the moment?"</p>
<p>“Okay, okay fair.” they laughed, taking a drink from the red solo cup in their hand. "But seriously, it's basic biology, Lex. Dolphins are not fish."</p>
<p>"They practically are, asshole!"</p>
<p>"Are you sure? Name three similarities."</p>
<p>"They live in water, they eat other fish, and, uhhhh."</p>
<p>Ethan smirked. "You need one more."</p>
<p>"Uhhhh. Bitch, I don't know! You really think I remember basic biology? I don't even remember whose house this is!"</p>
<p>"It's Danny's house." Ethan's head was practically in Lex's lap.</p>
<p>"I don't remember who Danny is, either!" Ethan sighed and started to lift their cup up to take a drink.</p>
<p> "Don't you fucking dare, Ethan Andrew Green. If you lift up that cup and spill that gross ass beer all over my jeans, I will kill you and everyone you love."</p>
<p>"You'd be killing yourself," Ethan mumbled under their breath.</p>
<p>"What?!"</p>
<p>"Nothing."</p>
<p>Lex eyed them suspiciously, but didn't press the subject. “So. Did you see <em>Cats</em>?”</p>
<p>"No. I prefer to keep my sanity intact. Plus my uncle would’ve combusted if I saw it.”</p>
<p>“I had no idea Hidgens had such strong feelings on <em>Cats</em>.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, he called it, and I quote, ‘the death of all musical theatre’”</p>
<p>Lex nodded solemnly and took another drag. “Your uncle is wise.”</p>
<p>“Don’t tell him that. It’ll go to his head.” Ethan sat up and against the arm of the couch, left arm on the back. They no longer had a flannel tied to their waist. It was now in a pile with Lex’s jacket. "Everything feels weeeeeird." they mumbled, tipping their head back dramatically.</p>
<p>"You did have like five cups of shitty beer, so that might explain a few things."</p>
<p>"Shut uppppp, you had like five joints."</p>
<p>"Excuse you, I had four." Lex said, elegantly flopping onto the couch and snuffing the joint out by throwing it on the floor and stamping on it.</p>
<p>"That's five! The one you had in your hand makes it five!"</p>
<p>"We get it Ethan, you're a mathematician."</p>
<p>“Oh whatever,” they, said rolling their eyes, and lightly pushing Lex’s shoulder in a friendly, playful way. </p>
<p>She pushed them back. They pushed her again. Pretty soon, they were giggling like it was the funniest thing that had ever happened to them. For a moment the two just sat there giggling like little kids, avoiding eye contact. <em>God they’re pretty, I could just</em>... Lex thought. <em>You’re just stoned, don’t do it.</em> She just stared at them for a few seconds, considering. Her mouth made the decision for her. “Do you wanna make out?” </p>
<p>“Uh… what?” Ethan cocked their head to the side a little.</p>
<p>“You heard me. Do you want to make out?” </p>
<p>Ethan looked at her with a completely unreadable expression. "Why?"</p>
<p>“I don’t know, just… cause,” Lex shrugged, "You're cute and I'm really kind of lonely and I'm gonna regret telling you that but before I do, do you wanna make out?"</p>
<p>“I- sure.” Ethan fumbled over their words. <em>Don’t fuck this up</em>, they thought to themself, <em>She's high and you're drunk and not going to remember this in the morning so enjoy it while it lasts. </em></p>
<p>Lex moved closer to them. She leaned forward and kissed them, closing her eyes as she did so. She placed a hand on the back of their neck. Ethan pulled Lex closer, their arms wrapping around her waist. Lex pressed into Ethan, desperate for more passion. Pulling away slightly, she moved her arms down to push off Ethan’s leather jacket, which they helped her remove. Unfortunately, oxygen didn’t last forever. They needed to pull away for a few moments to catch their breath. The two were blushing and fairly happy. They were breathless and craved passion. They kissed again, just as passionate as the last, if not more. Lex, slowly making her way onto Ethan’s lap, Ethan giving her help to do so, trying their best not to pull away. They looked each other in the eyes.</p>
<p>"Are you guys fucking serious?!?!"</p>
<p>The two quickly turned and saw Danny looking at them, disgusted. "Do not fuck on my couch!"</p>
<p>"Sorry-"</p>
<p>"If you're going to fuck, do it in a goddamn bedroom like a normal person for God's sake! Jesus Christ, I can clean sheets, I can't clean a fucking couch!"</p>
<p>Ethan and Lex gave each other looks, trying their best not to laugh. Danny sighed dramatically. "I give up. I'm going upstairs and either getting some sleep or having sex, whatever seems more fun. Don't fuck on my couch. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk."</p>
<p>As Danny walked away, Ethan shouted, "If you fuck my cousin, I'm gonna kill you!" Danny flipped them off. Ethan sighed and turned back to Lex. "My cousin Oliver is dating him. They're trying to keep it a secret, but, uh. They ain't slick whatsoever."</p>
<p>"Ethan, no offense, but I really don't wanna think about your nerdy cousin right now."</p>
<p>"Fair enough,” The two looked at each other and started laughing. The mood was softer than before, less frantic. “Do you want to go find a room?”</p>
<p>“Sure, why the fuck not?” Lex replied. They stood up. As they walked to find a room, they were sharing light pecks, falling over each other slightly.</p>
<p> Eventually, throughout the big house, they found a vacant room. After closing the door, Ethan sat down on the bed. “Come on. Join me, or are you too scared?”</p>
<p>Lex rolled her eyes and walked over to Ethan. She gave them a light push. “Ethan Andrew Green, if you ever say that I’m ‘too scared’ to do anything again, you’ll regret it.” And with that, she kissed them yet again. Hard. As the kiss went on, more and more clothing disappeared from the both of them.  At that moment, everything <em>felt</em> right.</p>
<p>~-~</p>
<p>It was the next morning, and Lex had never felt more wrong in her life. For one thing, her head hurt like a motherfucker. For another thing, she didn't recognize the room she was in. She closed her eyes and remembered last night. She was in Danny's house. Danny had probably fucked Ethan's cousin. She'd made out with Ethan.</p>
<p>Wait.</p>
<p>She looked to her right and saw Ethan next to her, still asleep and with a neck covered in bruises. They were shirtless. She was shirtless.</p>
<p><em>Fuck</em>. What was she going to do? Sneak out? She could've. Could've just grabbed her clothes and bolted. But she couldn't do that to Ethan. <em>They've always been so kind</em>, she thought, looking at them as they frowned in their sleep and curled up on their side. <em>You owe them that decency.</em> So she sat there.</p>
<p>It was the most awkward ten minutes of her life. Lex didn't want to move out of fear she'd wake Ethan, so she just lay there. The worst part was she could remember everything that had happened the night before. Well… almost everything. There were some fuzzy bits but that was only the drunk conversation hours before things had gotten… physical between them. Lex kept glancing between Ethan and the ceiling while reliving the events of the previous night. She couldn’t help but feel like she fucked up. Suddenly, her attention was turned to the person beside her, mumbling and groaning as they woke up. </p>
<p>“Morning, sleepy head.” Lex smiled at Ethan weakly, trying to sound casual. Ethan seemed to be in a worse state than her. </p>
<p>They grumbled and put a hand to their head. "Please don't talk so loud. What the fuck happened last night?"</p>
<p>“We… we, um.” Lex stammered. “You got hammered and I got super stoned… and super tipsy… and we.” she sighed. She did not enjoy reliving the events of last night. To hell with it. “We had sex, Ethan.” </p>
<p>“Oh, okay… so are we like, dating?” they asked quietly, looking at Lex with a look that was both confused and pained. Lex guessed that the pain was from the hangover. </p>
<p>What could Lex say? She missed being held and cared for but could she let herself be vulnerable in front of them? That was too much vulnerability for one relationship. Thinking it over, she used the same excuse as she did for everything. “Y’know, I-I would but… I can’t. I don’t have time on top of school and work and taking care of my sister and my mom. Sorry.” Fuck. It hurt her to say it to them.</p>
<p>Ethan nodded, seemingly thinking. "Okay, okay. I understand.” <em>Well, I fucked it all up. Great</em>. they thought. This was the exact thing they were avoiding. </p>
<p>There was an awkward atmosphere to the room. What did you talk about after getting turned down? The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. They kept glancing at each other awkwardly and sitting on the bed. </p>
<p>“Do you want to get breakfast?” Ethan asked, breaking the silence. “We can get a bite to eat and then I can drive you to pick up Hannah… and then home if you want…” </p>
<p>"Sure," Lex said quietly, keeping her gaze firmly trained on the bedspread. </p>
<p>Ethan slowly moved off the bed to find their clothing amongst the scattered mess on the floor. "I can't tell if these are your jeans or mine," they said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Lex smiled weakly in spite of herself.</p>
<p>"If the jeans are ripped, then they're mine." she said.</p>
<p>"Lex, I don't know how to tell you this, but mine had holes in them too."</p>
<p>"Fuck."</p>
<p>The two eventually sorted out the clothing situation, though neither was certain that they were wearing the right jeans.</p>
<p>"Ethan, do you know where my jacket is?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I can't find my jacket or my flannel."</p>
<p>They looked at each other and had the same horrific realization. "We left them in the living room, didn't we?"</p>
<p>The two of them quietly crept out to the living room and retrieved their jackets as quietly as they could. "Maybe they're still asleep." Lex whispered hopefully.</p>
<p>"Please do not jinx us." Ethan whispered back. They rounded the corner and who was sitting at the kitchen counter but Oliver, drinking out of a mug. He was wearing his big, round spectacles and an oversized shirt that was <em>definitely</em> not his.</p>
<p>Ethan cleared their throat. Oliver awkwardly turned around. "Hello, Ethan!" he said a little too cheerfully. </p>
<p>"Hello, problem cousin," Ethan replied, going over to the refrigerator and rooting around inside. "Do you know where the milk is?"</p>
<p>"Top shelf, to the right." Oliver said a bit too quickly. He went bright red.</p>
<p>Ethan gave him a look, but pulled the milk out.  "And where are the glasses?"</p>
<p>"Left of the refrigerator, second cabinet." Oliver mumbled.</p>
<p>Lex snorted and sat down next to him.  "How are you, Ollie?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I'm decent, you know. Hey, um, none of my business or anything, but-"</p>
<p>"What is it, dude?"</p>
<p>"What's with the bruise on your neck?" he said, pointing to it.</p>
<p>Ethan's head shot up from where they were pouring milk into two glasses. </p>
<p>Lex's hand flew up to her neck. "Uh-"</p>
<p>"Wait," Oliver said looking from Lex to Ethan. "Did you two-"</p>
<p>“Maybe, maybe not,” Ethan cut him off, “Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy? Also, love your shirt.” </p>
<p>Oliver sank down as much as he could while sitting on a barstool. "Thanks."</p>
<p>"Seriously. Where'd you get it from? It's super cute, if pretty big on you."</p>
<p>Lex snickered under her breath, taking a few sips from the milk Ethan handed her. Oliver was practically purple at this point. “I… brought it over… because I didn’t want to go back to Hidgens' place because he’d make a big deal over the whole thing.”  

"What do you mean?" Lex asked, curious.</p>
<p>“Ah, nothing, mostly just teasing and bothering until I tell him what happened.  Not unlike Ethan is doing right now." Oliver said, with a pointed look at Ethan who was pretending not to hear. "He’s kind of overbearing sometimes and would get worked up about how much I had to drink and stuff.”</p>
<p>“Well, valid.”</p>
<p>“Also, I wore the shirt because I didn't want anyone to see my hickies, unlike you, apparently." Oliver's cheeks were pink, but he looked proud of himself.</p>
<p>Ethan sputtered. "Oliver, I swear to God-"</p>
<p>"Goooood morning!" Danny had finally decided to make a dramatic appearance, wearing Oliver's fucking shirt. When he saw Lex and Ethan, his eyes narrowed. "Did you two fuck on my couch?"</p>
<p>"No!" Lex and Ethan yelled at the same time. Danny put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Okay, okay! Just had to make sure! Also, hi babe." Danny leaned across the counter and kissed a beaming Oliver on the cheek.</p>
<p>"Aaand that's our cue to leave!" Lex said, finishing her milk. "Great party, Danny. You two have fun." Ethan and Lex bolted out the front door and to Ethan's car, laughing. However, the second the two of them got in the car, it got awkward again.  The two drove in silence, thinking.</p>
<p>Finally, Lex broke the silence. “So… you didn’t beat the shit out of Danny.” she joked.</p>
<p>“Not yet anyways.” they replied with a slight chuckle.</p>
<p>A few moments of silence passed again. “E, I’m sorry about what I said this morning.”</p>
<p>“No. It’s fine. I totally get it. You aren’t in the right place and you have too much on your plate, it’s fine.”</p>
<p>“I just,” Lex took a deep breath, “last night was nice. I really enjoyed it, I just…” she trailed off. She didn't need to say anything. Ethan could read her like a book.</p>
<p>“Lex, we don’t have to do the romance thing.” they said, glancing at her.</p>
<p>She looked confused. “We could just do this. The physical thing.” Ethan continued, heart in their throat. </p>
<p>Lex bit her lip. “Would you be okay with that?” </p>
<p>“I wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise. If being friends with benefits is something you wanna do, I’d be glad to do it with you.” </p>
<p>“I- okay. Sure.” Lex said with a sigh. “Now let’s pick up Hannah and get some food, jackass.” </p>
<p>“Okay!” Ethan chuckled. The atmosphere between them was not as awkward as before. Sure, it was still a little awkward, but at least they could not worry about what was going on between them. </p>
<p>But as the two walked up and knocked on Grace's door, they both thought, <em>I wish it didn't have to be this way</em>.</p>
<p>Okay, maybe this wasn't going to go as well as they thought.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ethan and Lex recount the previous night on their own. Then, we have some breakdowns in cars and talk about spiders.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello !! tis justyn !! this chapter really hurt both rine and me to write so,,, it was fun but also painful haha </p><p>trigger warnings for this chapter: physical abuse, domestic abuse, self deprication,</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ethan had dropped the two off at the trailer. They didn’t like the idea of leaving the two girls there. They really cared about Lex and her sister. They could just bring them to Hidgens’ place and that could be the end of it but… that would be awkward. He’d start asking about who she was, if they were dating, why she and Hannah were brought there, plus he’d make comments that would make everyone uncomfortable. Mostly ones about them having sex but altogether, not comments you want to hear your uncle making about your friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, thanks for picking up my sister and the drive home… and breakfast.” Lex smiled as they pulled up to the lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” they smiled back. Hannah was getting out of the car slower than the two teens. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex caught herself staring at how fucking pretty Ethan was. It was them saying her name that brought her back to earth. “Uh… yeah. See you tomorrow.” The two girls walked to the trailer door as Ethan got back in their car, watching to make sure they were safe or at least as safe as possible.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Banana, how was Grace’s?” Lex asked, opening the door to the trailer and letting Hannah in first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was good. Grace is nice. But Webby needs to tell you something” the young girl said, looking up at Lex. “Webby says Ethan’s good… that we can trust them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Lex shook her head and walked inside. She wasn't going to take advice from an imaginary spider. But something about the phrasing bugged her. She tried to brush it away, but it stuck to her like a…fly on a web. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay. Focus before you get too deep into that metaphor.</span>
  </em>
  <span> "Tell Webby thanks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Outside of the trailer, a few moments after Lex and Hannah went inside, Ethan left, hoping everything would be okay. They drove back to their uncle’s place. The drive was nice. Alone. The only sound was Fall Out Boy coming from the speakers, quietly. For once, when they arrived home, there was no music blasting over the speakers. It was quiet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank God. Maybe he’s asleep and won’t hear me- </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Ethan.” a familiar voice broke the silence. Ethan groaned internally, turning to see Hidgens reading the newspaper in his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Uncle Henry.” Suddenly self-conscious of how they looked, they tugged at their shirt, praying internally that it might cover up the marks on their neck. Judging by Hidgens' raised eyebrows and smug expression, he wasn't fooled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was the party?” Henry folded the newspaper and placed it down on the small round, grey table beside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was fun.” They were hesitant to say that, but what else was there to say? All that they could think was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t bring up the hickies. Don’t bring up the hickies. Don’t bring up the-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. It appears that you had quite a fun time.” Hidgens smirked. “Oliver isn’t home yet. I thought you were driving him home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something got in the way.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” The fucking smug expression was still there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- uh… Lex needed a ride home. Oliver wasn’t ready to go yet.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan sighed. They did not want to talk about what had happened the night prior to anyone but the people that it concerned: them and Lex. “Okay. I need some aspirin so I’m gonna go take some of that and then take a nap. Night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan, it is eleven o’clock in the morning.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m aware.” Ethan responded, already halfway to the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kitchen was really bright. Too bright for Ethan. Rubbing their eyes and glaring at the bright white in the room, they went to look for aspirin and a cup. First, they filled up a glass with water. The silence throughout the large estate left Ethan just to think about the events that occured the night prior. But they pushed the thought out temporarily to take two aspirin. The cold water was alarming and calming to them. Drinking and taking the medication down with it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan placed their cup in the sink before leaving for their room. They took off their jacket as soon as they entered the room. They plopped onto their bed and began to actually think through the events of the prior night. Sure, they had gotten ridiculously drunk on really shitty beer. But they deserved it. Plus, Lex could actually go with them. Ethan had been all too hopeful about what would happen at the party. They wanted to actually sit down and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk </span>
  </em>
  <span>to her but of course, a party isn’t the right place to do that. Their memory was in flashes and blurs, not quite remembering all of what had happened. They remembered Lex looking at them with eyes that made them feel like the luckiest person in the world. They remembered the first kiss that they shared albeit not all that well, but the feeling of another person. They could remember the feeling of Lex pressed against them, feeling that they were the only two people in the world. At the time, they were. They were the only people that mattered to each other in that moment. But that moment was gone. Ethan didn’t know whether they regretted it or whether they were happy it happened. Lex didn’t want to be with them. That was one of the only things they were sure of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I’m really such a fucking idiot, aren’t I?” they mumbled to themselves, hands over their face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say that.” a different voice replied. Ethan sat up to see Oliver at their doorway. He was still wearing Danny’s shirt. But at least now it was tucked into the pair of jeans he had arrived at the party in. He had an ice pack in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck do you want, Ollie?” they groaned. Oliver walked over to the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean something happened at least. That’s more than you could say before.” he paused handing the ice pack to Ethan. “Here. It’s for the hickies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you get so hickey-savvy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I had to start hiding them from you and Hidgens and everyone else. I got a reputation to uphold. Look, do you want help or not?” He was beginning to get annoyed with them. In response, Ethan threw their hands up in defeat. “The ice stimulates the nerve endings and helps the bruise disappear. Works for regular bruises so it’ll work for these too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Oliver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it. Also,” Oliver had begun to get up and go to leave his cousin’s room, “Don’t beat up Danny. Just cause he slept with me doesn’t mean you have to get defensive about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll consider it.” they smirked in a joking matter. “But really, thanks.” And as suddenly as Oliver had arrived, he was gone, leaving Ethan to their thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, maybe he was right, but they still weren’t so sure. But Lex was a tormented person. They knew that she didn’t exactly trust easily. They wanted to be that person for her but they never would be. They didn’t think they deserved her. She was kind and responsible and just a genuinely good person who didn’t deserve half the crap she got. They were not good enough for her in their mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s just hope Lex doesn’t completely hate me </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the last thought they had before drifting off to sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>~-~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex didn’t hate Ethan. Far from it. She hated herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why the fuck would you sleep with someone high?! That’s rule number one! They probably fucking despise you for doing something as stupid as that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was on her bed mindlessly scrolling through her newsfeed. There was some good news, she supposed. President Goodman was meeting with scientists to discuss climate change and had shifted funding away from the military to universal healthcare. As much as she didn’t trust the government, she had to admit he wasn’t that terrible of a president. He had campaigned as a status quo democrat, and now that he was in office he was implementing some revolutionary policies. But that wasn’t what Lex was thinking about. All she was reflecting on was her own stupidity. She heard a knock on her door, sat up and sighed. “Mom, if you’re asking me for weed, I’m gonna have to say no. Not in the mood today.” The door creaked open, and thankfully, it wasn’t her mom. It was Hannah. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lexie, are you okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shook her head to clear it, sitting up. "I'm fine, Hannah. What's wrong?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Was worried about you. You picked me up late."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry about that, Banana. Ethan and I slept in pretty late."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah nodded solemnly. "Jackets scattered. Too much skin. Trust is hard."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex looked at Hannah, completely freaked out. "Banana, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't tremble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah shrugged. "Webby told me. I asked her where you were and if you were safe. She said you were safe and told me that too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex nodded, deciding to change the subject. Webby, she hated to admit, was scarily right. "Let's get out of the house. Wanna go to the park?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, that distracted Hannah, who eagerly went to get their jackets. As Lex pulled her jacket on-</span>
  <em>
    <span>the jacket she wore last night, the jacket she stepped on getting up from the couch</span>
  </em>
  <span>-she tried not to think about Ethan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, her brain failed because it was a little bitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>~-~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two weeks had passed since the party. Things were going strangely normally. School was continuing as usual; the classes were still dumb. Lex's mom was still disappearing, but Alice and Deb were still sickeningly sweet with each other, to the point where Ethan and Lex groaned every time Deb walked over to the two of them and Alice. They were happy for Alice and Deb, but the happy couple really needed to stop, because at this point, it was just gross.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And for some reason, Lex and Ethan were mostly normal. They still joked and laughed as normal. The only time anything felt awkward was when they accidentally touched each other. Lex would brush her hand against Ethan's shoulder and their conversation would grind to a halt. Ethan would grab her shoulder while laughing and they'd both instantly stop. Everyone noticed, but no one ever said anything. Alice gave them quizzical looks, but for the most part stayed quiet. Deb had never acknowledged it, but she was cool like that. Or maybe Deb was high. No one really knew. Everything remained fine for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, that all ended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been a decent day for Lex. Classes had gone well, and she even answered a question right in chemistry. Lunch had been fun because Alice had brought whole ghost peppers from home and Ethan, like a dumbass, had put the whole thing in their mouth. They had promptly died.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex was smiling as she walked home, remembering how Deb, taking pity on Ethan's stupid ass, had bought them two bottles of water, and how quickly Ethan had drank them. She shook her head fondly as she pushed open the door. Grace had offered to pick up Hannah, so she'd gotten the chance to walk home and "appreciate nature" and all that shit. It was pretty, she supposed. The leaves were turning brown and starting to fall and there was this crisp feel to the air. Her favorite kind of weather. She was still smiling as she opened the door of the trailer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile disappeared the second she heard a smash and a cuss. "Mom?" she called. In retrospect, that was a terrible move. Her mom lumbered in, fury in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You fucking brat!" Quicker than she could react, her mom struck her across the face and Lex fell down, clutching her face. She could practically feel a bruise forming, but stood up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom, what the hell?!?!" Lex screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where the hell is my stash, you bitch!" Another strike, on the same side. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This was gonna look bad afterwards</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Lex thought. She didn't fall this time, but came close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex covered her face and stumbled to her room, her mom screaming after her. She was just barely able to lock the door as her mom started hammering on it and yelling. She pulled out her phone's camera and inspected the damage. A cut lip, likely from her mom's long ass nails and a bruising cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was able to hold it together for all of two seconds before she started crying. Lex kept on for a while and all of a sudden realized she needed to get herself together. She straightened up and shook her head. She needed to call Ethan. Right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She dialled their number, listening closely for her mom, who she could no longer hear. Ethan picked up on the second ring. "Lex? What's up?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed in relief and gripped the phone like a lifeline.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lex?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tears welled up again. She managed to choke out, "I'm at home you need to pick me up." before she started sobbing again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Whoa, whoa, Lex! What's wrong?" She couldn't say anything coherent, just sobbed harder. "Okay, okay. I'm coming. I'll text when I'm there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn't even say thank you before they hung up. Her breath was so uneasy. She knew she looked like shit but she couldn’t do anything to make her look any better. Lex just sat there on the floor of her bedroom waiting for Ethan to get to the trailer. It wasn’t long before her phone vibrated, notifying her that Ethan had sent a message. They were outside. Now, just how to get outside without dealing with her mom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex slowly got up, off the ground. She got her small overnight bag. The one that she used when she and Hannah had to leave for short term. She slowly unlocked the door and turned the knob to open it, praying that she wouldn’t have to run into her mother again. She stepped out into the long hall of the trailer quietly and walked down the hall and to the door. Unfortunately, she didn’t see her mom sitting on the couch, with a bottle of beer in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” her mother said, standing up and beginning to advance on her. “You can’t just leave, you little brat.” Her hand was around Lex’s arm. Hard. She knew that would be another bruise to form. Her mother was pulling her away from the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I fucking can!” Lex yelled, using her other hand to push her mother away. Thankfully it worked. Lex bolted out the door with the small lead in the fight she had. She ran as fast as she could to the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she got in the car, she slammed the door shut. Her breathing was heavy and unstable, tears falling from her eyes. She wasn’t crying, not yet. The tears just fell. Ethan looked at her with concern. They had never seen her this rough before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lex are you-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just fucking drive, Ethan!” she yelled. She hadn’t meant to yell. It just… happened. She took a few breaths, tears still falling down her cheeks. Then she remembered. “Fuck. We gotta go to Grace’s.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She picked up Hannah from school.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two drove in silence. Lex broke. She had never done this in her life and never thought she would in front of anyone, especially </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ethan </span>
  </em>
  <span>of all people. Her sobs were loud. She could hear it and knew it annoyed Ethan. It didn’t. They were concerned more than anything. They couldn’t help but look at her every few seconds. But what could they say? She clearly wasn’t okay. The drive felt longer than any drive either had ever been on. Despite not knowing what to say, Ethan was the one to break the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to get her?” Lex hadn’t even realized they were there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Um, no it’s fine. She’s seen worse.” Lex half-chuckled at the end. Trying to make a joke of what she said but both knew the statement was completely serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lex, I know that Hannah might’ve but Grace probably hasn’t. Seriously just, let me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t have the energy to fight them. “Fine.” And so they got out of the car. Ethan walked up to the door and before knocking on the door, took one last glance at Lex with a soft, weak, and sad smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex watched Ethan and Grace talk. Ethan had put on an act for her. One that didn’t read the concern they felt for Lex back in the car. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t do this to them </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought. She didn’t want Ethan to see her like this but they had and there was no going back. When Hannah came out from inside the house, Ethan acted so… sweet? Like they were Hannah’s older sibling. They took Hannah’s hand and led her to the car. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why the fuck were they so sweet? What did she do to deserve a... lover? Partner? Friend like Ethan Andrew Green? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Before Hannah got to the car, she had forced herself to stop crying. Look at least a little okay despite the state of her face. “Hey Banana, how was school?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not good, not bad. In between.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I do to make it a better day?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young girl shrugged. “Not go home. Webby says home isn’t safe now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. We aren’t gonna go home.” Lex turned her attention to Ethan, who was now driving. “E,” she whispered, “I don’t- where can we go? I don’t want her…” Why were words so hard?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can go to my place. Well, Hidgens’ place. If that’s cool with you?” they whispered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex opened her mouth to say something. She paused. “Yeah. Sure. How does that sound, Banana? Ethan’s uncle is pretty cool.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not home so okay.” Hannah nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The drive became less quiet than when it was just Lex and Ethan because Hannah decided to use the silence to infodump information about harmless spiders. Sure, it was awkward but at least they weren’t just sitting in silence. Eventually, the three arrived at the Hidgens Estate. When they entered, there was the usual musical soundtrack blasting. “Hidgens? Hidgens? Uncle Hidgens?” Ethan called out into the house. “I am so sorry guys. He just… does this.” He tried to reach the other member of the house. “Oliver? Ollie?” Thankfully this time someone responded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello Ethan, Lex-” a pause. Oliver saw Lex and decided that today was not a day to tease his cousin. “And who is this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my little sister, Hannah.” Lex replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi Hannah. I’m Oliver.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” she responded quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Ollie, do you think you can watch her while I get Lex patched up a little?” Ethan whispered to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Of course.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hannah, do you wanna go hang out with Oliver? I’m sure he’d love to hear all about spiders.” Ethan smirked slightly. Oliver definitely did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to hear about spiders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Hannah’s eyes lit up at the mention of someone wanting to hear about spiders. Oliver and Hannah left for a room where they could hang out leaving Lex and Ethan alone. Not without Oliver mouthing “I hate you.” to Ethan first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan and Lex also went to a different room. They went to Ethan’s room, where they did have a bathroom. Lex sat on Ethan’s bed while they went to get a wet cloth and a first aid kit. When they returned, they found Lex looking around the room with wonder. “So this is the bedroom of the Great Ethan Green.” she laughed lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep.” they replied as they sat down next to Lex. They sighed, unzipping the first aid kit open. “I know you aren’t going to want to answer this but… what happened? Cause getting a call from my friend in tears telling me I need to come and pick them up is a little jarring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom wanted her weed. I didn’t have it cause I haven’t had a shift in weeks.” Lex gave the bare minimum of information. Ethan had now taken out some alcohol pads and was beginning to clean the wounds on her face. “Shit.” she jumped. Ethan instinctively pulled away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” they lightly dabbed the cuts a few more times before placing it in the garbage. “Lex, I’m gonna be honest with you. You look just a bit like shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gee thanks. Just what every girl wants to be told.” Lex rolled her eyes. The two shared a sad look and sat in silence while Ethan disinfected the cuts on her arms. Until a small ding went off from Ethan’s phone. They looked at their phone and had their eyes widen before shaking their head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might kill my uncle. Oh my god.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’d he say?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will not tell you that. It ain’t happening.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. Fine. Be that way. Guess I’ll just have to try and see for myself.” Lex lunged forward to try and get their phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan moved their phone out of Lex’s reach. “Not so fast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two played like this for a bit, Lex weakly lunging for the phone and giggling, until it was Lex very close to Ethan. A pause. Almost as if someone paused a movie. The two took a few breaths. Eyes going from eyes to lips and back again. Suddenly she just took the adrenaline rush and kissed Ethan. Hands immediately going into hair and around necks. This was different than a few weeks ago. They were both completely sober. It was just pure passion. This lasted a few minutes before Ethan remembered and pulled away. “Lex, my uncle’s home. My cousin’s home watching your sister. We really can’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah you’re probably right.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make it up to you soon though, I promise. We could go somewhere tonight just not while Hidgens is home and blasting </span>
  <em>
    <span>RENT</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s really not-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no. Fair. I don't wanna, you know…do shit with La Vie Boheme in the background.” Lex giggled a little bit. Ethan smiled at her and placed a final kiss onto her lips. This one was soft and meaningful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they pulled away they just said “Let’s go get some ice for your face.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Ethan walked downstairs, Lex collapsed against the bed she was sitting on and pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was going at a million miles an hour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was quite possibly the worst idea she'd ever had. Lex was shocked to find that she didn't care.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ethan and Lex are soft for each other. They have some sweet moments. Then have some bitter ones.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Listen, I am sorry. I really am. It's... sad. I only write things that hurt others and that is that on that. -Justyn (@mckpricely on tumblr)<br/>This is all Justyn's fault and i messaged him angrily several times over the course of writing this. Enjoy. -Rine (@ifeelasongcomingon on tumblr)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Everything was changing. Too quickly and too much. Lex and Hannah were staying at Hidgens' house for the time being because Hannah hadn't reported anything from Webby, and Hannah wouldn't leave unless Webby said it was safe. Ethan gave her a look when she told them that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, I know it sounds stupid, but Webby has never, and I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>been wrong. I once went home when Webby specifically said not to and I got beat up bad."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan nodded, thinking seriously. "Okay. That's creepy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, definitely. But Hannah hasn't started speaking in tongues yet and it makes her happy, so I just go with it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens was really good with Hannah, incredibly patient and kind. Lex knew Hannah wished they could stay here forever, and secretly, she did too. And, most importantly, everything had changed between her and Ethan, for better or for worse. Their relationship had gotten about fifteen times more complicated in the week they had stayed at Hidgens' house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex was falling harder and harder for Ethan and she couldn't deny it anymore. Everytime they smiled at her, was kind to Hannah, danced around the kitchen to Hidgens's musical soundtracks because they thought no one was watching them. Every tiny little moment just made her blush. She had never felt this way about anyone before. Ever. She just hoped that it didn’t show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The week spent was both great and confusing. On one hand, relieving the tension between them was a lot easier. Just one of them sneaking off to the other’s room or sneaking out of the house</span>
  <em>
    <span> together</span>
  </em>
  <span>. On the other hand, they both fell even harder for each other. Ethan saw Lex become less scared to exist. By the end of the week, she wasn’t walking around eggshells. She was confident. The cuts and bruises were still visible but they looked a lot better. Ethan insisted on cleaning and rebandaging them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan, it’s fine. I can do it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>can </span>
  </em>
  <span>but you’re not going to. I am.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They took extra care, making sure nothing looked off. After inspection of each wound, they would press their lips ever so softly to it. Every single one, without fail. It made Lex roll her eyes and blush. She loved being taken care of, having someone who wanted to take care of her. She loved having Ethan kiss all the places that she had been hurt. But it couldn’t last forever. They’d get bored, right? They would find some other person. Someone who wasn’t as broken as she was. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>God, I don’t deserve this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought. Ethan sometimes would get carried away, forgetting that they weren’t dating, for only a second. “E, come on. We gotta go soon.” Lex reminded them. Ethan gave her a little pout and then got up and escorted her out of the bathroom. They drove themself, Lex, Oliver, and Hannah to school everyday. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The school day passed without incident. Everything felt normal and went normal, almost too normal. It should have made sense that something big was going to happen. Unfortunately, neither Lex or Ethan picked up on it. Not even when Hannah got in the car and announced, "Running high. Sooner or later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What was that, Banana?" Oliver asked. He was very interested in Hannah's imaginary friend. Scientifically interested. Apparently Oliver was very invested in predictions of the future and viewed Hannah’s cryptic statements as predictions. Ethan thought it was bullshit, Lex wasn’t so sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Webby told me. Running high. Sooner or later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver nodded solemnly. "Do you know what it means?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah shook her head slowly. "Dunno. It'll happen tonight. That's all I can say for certain."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan shrugged. Lex couldn’t be that flippant. Something about Hannah’s predictions sent chills down her back. If she said something was going to happen, it was gonna happen, no doubt. Lex tried to decipher it in her head, but nothing made sense. She tried to push it away, but it still held onto her brain, like a rat with its claws in her skull. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it home and found a quiet house. That was unusual. Typically, there was always a musical soundtrack blaring. A note from Hidgens was on the counter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Had to grade some tests, </span>
  </em>
  <span>it read. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Be back with dinner at around 7 :)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“He actually put a smiley face? What a fucking nerd.” Ethan said, with no trace of malice in their voice. “Oliver, don’t you have homework?” they yelled at Oliver, who was heading towards his bedroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one gives a shit if I do it anyways, Ethan! I’ve got straight As!” Oliver called back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan turned back to Lex. “That bastard’s right, goddammit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex chuckled. “Hey… if Hidgens is out do you maybe wanna…” she trailed off. They knew exactly what she was talking about anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan rolled their eyes and took her hand. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The two lay in Ethan’s bed, enjoying the peace and afterglow. They lightly traced their finger across Lex’s shoulder. She was beautiful. Everything. She sighed, blowing a piece of her hair away from her face. Ethan's heart was practically pounding out of their chest as it all came crashing down on them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She doesn't love you. You're hurting yourself by doing this. You need to stop this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was when they got up from the bed frantically, grabbing for their jeans. Lex sat up, alarmed. "Hey, where's the fire, E?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nickname broke their heart a little more. Ethan turned to face her and their heart climbed into their throat. She looked confused, panicked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It's better in the long run, </span>
  </em>
  <span>they told themself. “Lex, I can’t do this anymore.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the-” it was sudden. She hadn’t expected this at all. “Why?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want this to stay casual and not a big deal. I can’t do that, Lex. I am falling too hard and fast for you and I know I won’t stop if we keep this up. I can’t keep having casual sex with you knowing that I love you and that you don’t feel the same way.” they sputtered out, not thinking. The words fell too fast and too hard for them to register what they were even saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Lex was upset, and she wasn't sure why. She stood up anyway. "You were the one who had this idea in the first place! Why would you even suggest it if you couldn't handle it!?" Lex yelled</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because I was trying to help you! You obviously didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>a romantic relationship! I was willing to respect that and when you said that friends with benefits might be good, I said sure! Like a fucking idiot!"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lex knew exactly who she was mad at. But did she? "Guess what! We didn't have to at all that first night! But guess who was enough of a fucking idiot to get high and sleep with you?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were glaring at each other. The two had never actually fought before. There'd been small, petty arguments, but nothing ever like this. It didn't feel good to yell at the other. It felt...</span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex opened her mouth to try and continue the argument, but at that moment, they heard inspiring orchestra music start up from below. Hidgens was back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan and Lex looked at each other and shook their heads. They had come to the same silent agreement: </span>
  <em>
    <span>do not let this argument leave this room.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The two of them silently got dressed quickly, running their hands through their hair and trying to look at least slightly better and less disheveled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens was belting out One Day More as they walked downstairs. By himself. It was impressive and did lighten the mood somewhat. Oliver and Hannah were sitting at the counter enjoying his performance. Lex walked over to Hannah and sat next to her. “Hey Banana, what does Webby say about going home?” she asked quietly, out of range for anyone else to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Home isn’t the trailer. But safe to go back.” Hannah said, looking up at her sister. “Lexie, I don’t wanna go home. I wanna stay here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know… but, we can’t.” </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The next day Ethan drove the two home. It was quiet and awkward. They didn’t want to sit in this horrible silence. They wanted things to be okay but clearly they never would be. Lex didn’t feel the same about them. She just wanted someone to fuck casually without any emotions or commitment. At least, to Ethan, that’s what they </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought </span>
  </em>
  <span>she wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They couldn’t be more wrong. She did want a relationship with them. It was just… not right. She was always tired. She didn’t want them to know how she felt. To herself, Lex was a broken person who didn’t deserve Ethan. Ethan was sweet and kind and always put her first. They cleaned her wounds and kissed them all so softly. Who the fuck did that shit, especially to someone like her? They took care of her. She hadn’t had someone take care of her since… God she couldn’t even remember. She cared about Ethan too much, she couldn’t let them be hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah had gotten out of the car. She was waiting for Lex to go into the trailer. Lex was about to get out when Ethan stopped her. “Hey, I-” a pause. They couldn’t say what they were originally going to. They couldn’t. “I’ll see you around, Lex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” she replied with a half smile. She got out of the car, leaving Ethan alone once again. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ethan and Lex do not have a good time dealing with the aftermath of the fight. Maybe another party will help that? Maybe it won't.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you've reached the final chapter !! good job !! i'm proud of you -justyn</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Everything hurt and Ethan was dying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were collapsed on their bed and no longer had the will or need to move. Had they fucked everything up? </span>
  <em>
    <span>What did she mean by "maybe??" Am I never going to see her again? Did I fuck up that bad? That's not even a question.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They were </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> close to crying. They'd just lost the only thing in their life that made them feel even slightly more whole and then lost the trust of her. Was she that hurt by their affections?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” Ethan turned their head and saw Oliver. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” they groaned, sitting up and flinging a blanket at Oliver, who easily dodged it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get up, dude. You need to eat.” Oliver said, trying to pull Ethan up from the bed. Ethan, however, was very stubborn and wouldn’t let go of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver gave them a look. “Hidgens made waffles. Get your ass downstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan shook their head. Oliver sighed. “Look, I dunno what happened between you and Lex, but Uncle’s kind of worried about you. Please come downstairs and reassure him that you haven’t like, died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Ethan grumbled, grabbing their jacket and heading downstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breakfast was uncomfortable. Hidgens kept trying to engage Ethan and Oliver in conversation, but to no avail. Ethan wouldn’t budge, they just angrly stabbed their waffles and ate in silence. Hidgens was worried about them. Ethan had come home with tears streaming down their face. They had gone directly to their room and hadn’t come out. Oliver had had no idea what had happened so he was no help either. Hidgens was trying to get to the bottom of things, and it seemed like nothing was going to be found out unless he talked to Ethan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens was sitting at the kitchen table grading more tests. He normally never sat at the table, but he wanted to be there if/when Ethan came downstairs. Truth was, he was worried about the kid. Who was anyone to blame him? Ethan was a seventeen year old living at their uncle’s. They had a bit of a substance abuse problem because of things that had happened pre-living with said uncle, they got themself into too much trouble, and they were obviously not in… the healthiest relationship either. Truth is, he knew exactly what was going on between them and Lex. Mostly, Hidgens was just happy someone else cared about Ethan. Him and Oliver were the only people that really did before they found Lex. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens’ sisters weren’t the best people and they would never claim to be. His older sister, Ethan’s mom was a lower middle class woman who couldn’t deal with the fact that her husband left her. She was an alcoholic chain-smoker that took her grief out on Ethan, got them drinking and smoking at an age much younger than they should’ve been. At least, Ethan could leave their mom, unlike Lex with her mom. Hidgens had never seen Ethan </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>broken before. Not even when they first moved in with him. Something was really wrong but he didn’t want to pry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A door slammed open and Hidgens heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Ethan strode into the living room with a sour expression, but Hidgens noticed the tear streaks on their face. They grabbed their jacket off the coat hanger and reached for the door handle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are you going, kid?" Hidgens never typically asked either Oliver or Ethan where they were going, but this didn't feel right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Out." Ethan mumbled, pulling their jacket on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens sighed. "I need to talk to you, Ethan."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't wanna talk."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ethan," Hidgens started to snap, but then stopped. He continued in a softer voice, standing up carefully and moving to where Ethan was standing. "I'm just concerned about you at the moment."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan shook their head. “I’m fine.” they tried again, grabbing for the door. Hidgens blocked their path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan, do not bullshit me right now. You are not fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan shook their head. "Please just let me leave." Hidgens could see the tears starting to build again. He really didn't want to see Ethan cry, but he also didn't trust letting them go outside alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ethan, come on."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan shook their head and the tears started. "Uncle, I fucked up. I fucked up so bad."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidgens slowly pulled Ethan into a hug. It was awkward. They never hugged, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Hidgens rubbed their back. It was so very weird. But what else could he do? What else was there to do other than support the kid through this stressful time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>~-~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex was going to throw up. She sure felt like it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was sitting on her bed and shaking like a leaf. Her meager breakfast of toast and one singular piece of bacon was rolling around in her stomach. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe? MAYBE??? Are you fucking </span>
  </em>
  <span>serious? She'd already stabbed them in the heart, why drive the knife in and twist it? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking hell, Lex. You really suck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lexie?" It was Hannah again. She shook her head, trying to clear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it, Banana?" Lex patted the side of her bed. "Wanna sit down?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah shook her head. "Just wanted to say that Webby has a message for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hannah, I don't mean to sound awful, but I really do not wanna hear a prophecy or a hallucination or whatever you've got right now-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Go to the party." Hannah said quietly, cringing at Lex's tone of voice. Lex saw it and groaned with regret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, Hannah. What do you mean by a party?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah shook her head. "That's all-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Webby would say. Okay, figured. I'm not mad," she said in response to Hannah's fearful look. "Just confused."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to watch Ratatouille?" Hannah's face was so hopeful, how could she say no?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex sighed and smiled. "You know what? Sure." </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything to get my mind off them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>About halfway through the movie, Lex's phone buzzed. It was Alice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, Danny's hosting another party tonight you wanna come? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex frowned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Didn't he like just hold one? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah I dunno. You know his parents are never home.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex sighed. She looked over at Hannah, who was still fixated on Ratatouille. "Hannah, does Webby have anything to say about where Mom is?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah, not taking her eyes away from the laptop screen, replied, "Mom won't be home for like another few days. That's what Webby said. She also said 'remember home, not house'"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope Grace's free, I'd hate to ask her again, though..." Lex said, almost to herself. The prophecy was still rattling around her brain. Especially the home part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lex, you can leave me at home, you know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, guess what's not going to happen? That." Lex turned to look at Hannah, who was giving her big puppy dog eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please? You never let me stay home alone. It's just for tonight!" Hannah looked so excited and Lex did not want to ignore a remarkably straightforward Webby prophecy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine. But if you burn down the trailer, then I'm gonna kill you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Hannah giggled. "I think you'd thank me if I did that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shoved Hannah gently. "Hey! Just because it's true doesn't mean you should say it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hannah laughed and Lex felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She'd go to the party and forget about them for a while. It was going to be okay.</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lex got to the party and regretted everything. It was loud and crowded, and she missed Ethan-</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FUCK. </span>
  </em>
  <span>This was supposed to get her mind off of Ethan, not make her yearning matters worse! She needed a drink or a joint. Whatever was closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lex! Hi!" She turned around at the bubbly voice and saw Alice, completely and utterly buzzed. Deb was next to her, looking completely and utterly exhausted but still fondly looking at Alice. Alice was practically lying on Deb, which was a feat, as they were both standing up</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Deb, Alice. How are you?" Lex said, deciding to at least try and make small talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm having the beeeest timeeeeeee." Alice slurred. "Deb. Deb. Deb. Tell Alice what I did." she said, poking Deb in the arm. Deb sighed and smiled. "She drank five shots for the first time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's never gotten drunk before?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice giggled again."Nope! Dad's gonna be so mad at me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, Alice. Two things. First of all, don't make Uncle Bill mad. He's pretty cool, even if he bears a creepy resemblance to my boss. Second of all, if you really wanted to make your dad mad, you'll need, like, way more alcohol than that in your system."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice paused, considering this. "Like how much more?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, I dunno, but way more than five shots-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Lexie! Bye Deb, I'm gonna go find more alcohol!" Alice called, giving Deb a quick kiss on the cheek and starting to stumble off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deb gave Lex a look. "Thanks a lot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry.” Lex laughed. “To be fair, she was the one who asked.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deb just shook her head. “I’m gonna go make sure she doesn’t die. Have a good time.” Deb patted Lex on the shoulder and started to walk away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Deb? Do you know if, uh, Ethan’s here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deb turned back to her. “Dunno. There’s a lot of people at this party, though. Maybe they’ll be here.” Before Lex could say anything else, Deb waved and disappeared into the crowd, on the hunt for Alice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shook her head and saw a tray of cups full of... something on the counter. She picked it up and cautiously sipped it. Shitty beer. Perfect. She was gonna need it if she was going to get through this party. She picked up the cup, chugged it, and was hit with a memory she’d forgotten existed. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Don't you fucking dare, Ethan Andrew Green. If you lift up that cup and spill that gross ass beer all over my jeans, I will kill you and everyone you love." They’d looked at her like she was the world. How could she have been this stupid-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Scratch that. She was gonna need about four more cups and maybe a couple of joints.</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How had she gotten stuck talking to the biggest douchebag? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lex thought aimlessly to herself, taking another drag, spilling smoke out. This guy would not. Shut. Up. Something about his parents owning a tennis court? She didn’t know and honestly didn’t give a shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had introduced himself to her, but she had not-so-sadly forgotten his name. Lex was calling him Chadbury in her head because, like she said, she didn’t give a shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She decided to tune back into whatever he was rambling on about, out of curiosity. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and so then I beat the kid and laughed at him. He should have never challenged me anyways, because my parents own-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A tennis court, I remember.” Lex interrupted. Chadbury looked delighted and went right back to rambling. Lex sighed. This guy was a douchebag that wasn’t even a fun douchebag. Unlike Danny. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>God, was she seriously considering hunting down Danny and talking to him? This truly was the darkest timeline.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you think?” the guy asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what?” Lex asked, still half-listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chadbury frowned. “I was asking if you wanted to uh, go somewhere private.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex took another hit, screaming internally. She’d known this bitch for five minutes and he was already trying to get in her pants? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Obama wouldn’t treat me like this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought nonsensically, and giggled to herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I that repulsive that you’d laugh at me for suggesting we have sex?” The guy looked almost hurt. </span>
  <em>
    <span> Now </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was starting to get pissed. She was almost crunching the blunt between her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, I just met you! What the hell?!” Lex said, turning to face him and flicking the blunt to the ground. “Listen, Chadbury-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Harrison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t give a flying fuck, my guy. Listen up. If you go up to someone, don’t even ask their name, ramble about your parents being rich enough to own a tennis court, and then ask if they want to have sex with you, they’re probably gonna say no. Just a tip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chadbury frowned, practically pouting. This was ridiculous. Lex started to walk away, but then he grabbed her arm. “What the fuck! I was nice enough to talk to you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex struggled, brain going into panic mode. All she could see in front of her was her mom. “Get off of me! What the hell!” she yelled, but no one was paying attention. Everything was starting to shut down. Why the hell was this asshole so fucking strong?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” she heard someone familiar yell. She actually breathed a sigh of relief. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you, Danny.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He walked up to them. “What the fuck are you doing, Harrison?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he lied, letting go of Lex’s arm. “Just-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second he did, Lex sank to the floor, grabbing her arm and shaking her head rapidly. Danny glared at him. “Go home, Harrison. What the hell did you do? You know what, I don’t even want to know,” Danny said, holding up his hand to stop Harrison. “Get the fuck out of my house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harrison grumbled and slunk off. Danny kneeled down next to Lex. “Hey, Lex? You, uh, okay? Stupid question, of course you’re not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shook her head. "Thanks, though." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't mention it." Danny said, voice kind. God, why was everyone being so</span>
  <em>
    <span> nice </span>
  </em>
  <span>to her? "Do you wanna, like, move?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shrugged. "I dunno."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, come on. I'm moving you. I don't think it's safe in the middle of the party." Lex reluctantly stood up and followed Danny into a different room. She quickly sat down on the floor and put her head in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Lex? It's okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, it's not." she mumbled. "I fucked up so bad, Danny."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny looked at her, confused. "Harrison shouldn't have done that. It's not your fault-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I fucked up. With Ethan. I really fucked up. I basically told them I didn't love them and I was lying. Why the fuck would I do that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny looked at her strangely. "Lex, I think you're gonna regret telling me that. Here," he said, handing her a glass of water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex sipped at it slowly. "I hate water. It's so fucking bland. The ancient Greeks barely drank water, and look at what they did."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny shrugged. "Well, I'm trying to get you to sober up here. Water is the best way to do that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex sighed. "Isn't there like a cooler, sexier way to sober up?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She groaned, chugging the rest of the water. "I hate it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, Oliver burst in. "Babe, what the hell happened? I saw someone fall, are they okay-" He looked down. "Oh. Hey Lex."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex waved. "Hey Ollie. What's up?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Oliver looked genuinely concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Totally. Why wouldn't I be?" Lex said, attempting a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver wasn't fooled. "Lex, what do you want me to do?" There was no answer. Just a light shrug. “I could go get Eth-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not. Nope. Not happening.” Lex cut the boy off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, I don’t know what happened, but Ethan has been beating themself up over it. Clearly, you have been too. Just talk to them Lex. Please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. But only for them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver and Danny exchanged a look. Danny left and Oliver sat down. "It'll be okay." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Famous last words." Lex grumbled.</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ethan had been sitting mostly alone. Smoking cigarettes and joints. They spent most of the night talking with Sof. Occasionally flirting with whoever came to sit with them. It just felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>though. They belonged with Lex. They hadn’t really talked to her since the whole fight. “Sof, did I fuck things up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” she laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a girl’s opinion. Did I fuck things up with Lex?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re fucking whipped as shit for her, dude. If she can’t accept your feelings, that’s her problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay… you’re probably right.” they nodded, taking a sip from the can in their hand. Suddenly Danny came running up to them. There was a slight smirk on his face. “Danny, why are you here? Why aren’t you screwing my cousin or whatever it is you do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan my dear, if I wanted to hang with only Ollie, I wouldn’t have held a party.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I find that hard to believe” they muttered under their breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s besides the point, I need you to come with me.” he continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I do that?” they were defensive. Danny was sleeping with his cousin. Why the fuck did he want to hangout with them all of a sudden? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause Lex wants to talk to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I doubt that. She hasn’t spoken to me since-” Danny was getting irritated with Ethan’s shit. Ever since the fight it had just been “Lex hates me” this and “how could I fuck up this bad” that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, just fucking trust me for once. She wants to talk to you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan went to protest. But they changed their mind. They had no real reason to hate Danny other than the fact that they were like an older brother to Oliver. Just a little overbearing sometimes. “Okay fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan got up and followed Danny through his large house to find Lex. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Knock, knock. Special delivery for one Lex Foster.” Danny announced before walking into the room with Ethan. Upon entrance, Ethan and Lex shared an awkward glance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Danny, are you sure about this? I-” they whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ethan Andrew Green, you are talking to her and that is final.” he whispered back. “Hey Oliver, let’s get out here, huh?” he winked. Oliver got up from his place beside Lex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine.” he smiled before walking over to Danny and leaving the two alone in the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan sat down across from Lex awkwardly. The two of them didn't say anything for a little bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Ethan finally settled on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. "Some asshole grabbed my arm and I had a small sensory overload but other than that, I'm doing amazing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan winced. "I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine. Not your fault."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a longer silence. Ethan broke it again. "I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You've got nothing to-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, I do." They turned to face her. "I shoved my feelings onto you and you didn't want them. It was selfish of me to do that and I shouldn't have."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FUCK. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex needed to fucking tell them. Right now. But she was paralyzed. There was a really long silence. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking say something!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That is not what I fucking meant are you fucking KIDDING me what the fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan sighed and started to stand. "That's all I had to say. I'm just gonna-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you too." Lex said, standing up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan looked at her, face hopeful. "You-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was so fucking scared to say it. I was so scared of losing you that I pushed you away. I was wrong because you are one of the best people I know and all I want is for you to stay with me. That's all I've ever wanted."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another silence. Ethan wanted this too. It’s all they had thought about since the fight. They had to be serious. That wasn’t exactly their style. “So… does that mean we’re like… going out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- yeah. Now shut up and kiss me, asshole.” she laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They did so. It was different than before. Different from the first party. It was better. This time they didn’t need to pretend to hide their feelings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're both idiots, huh?" Lex said, giggling and pulling away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan laughed, shaking their head. Their heart was going to hammer out of their chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan was so close to her, their noses were practically touching. Fuck. They could do it again, start everything over again. Do it right this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goooooood morning, everybody!" </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking Danny.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He had rolled up to them with a shit-eating grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolled?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you wearing-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Heelys? Yep."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex and Ethan took one look at each other and started laughing hysterically. Danny shrugged. "This is style. I don't know what to tell you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, I take it you guys fixed things up?" Oliver asked, walking in behind Danny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex and Ethan stopped laughing and took a few deep breaths. They nodded at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Halle-fucking-lujah. So you guys are done dancing around each other?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oliver!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What? It was like watching the most awkward tango of all time! I had to live in the same house with them for like a week! It sucked! Which is why it's good that they got their shit together!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you could've said it nicer!"</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a few days since the party. Ethan still hadn’t beat the shit out of Danny. Although helping your girlfriend sober up a bit might change those plans a little. Everything worked out. It was okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex and Hannah had moved into Hidgens' house sort of permanently. Hidgens was happy to just have the Fosters back and for Ethan to be happy again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Still can't believe that you've liked me since last year." Ethan mumbled, running their fingers through Lex's hair. They were lying in bed together, Lex curled up into Ethan's side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can't believe you've liked me since the first time you saw me in Mr. Houston's class." Lex chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ethan spluttered. "Look, am I supposed to see someone like you and not fall in love with them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lex shook her head, blushing. "Don't say cute shit like that. I'm gonna fall in love with you more."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They lay there in a comfortable silence for a little bit until they heard synth noises coming from the kitchen below. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the hell is that?" Lex asked, lifting her head from Ethan's chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cats.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Ethan groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was far from perfect. But it was them together for the first time. How could it be anything less than amazing?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow. We fucking did it. Holy shit. This is an amazing day.<br/>If you've made it this far great job!<br/>Throughout writing this fic Justyn and I kept messaging each other wondering why we were hurting them. Now we know because we made it here!<br/>Thanks for reading!<br/>-Rine</p></blockquote></div></div>
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